Team South Africa had phenomenal results on Friday, including a SA Record for Adriaan Wildschutt
Athletics:
Men’s 10 000m, final
Adrian Wildschutt set a new South African record of 26:50.64 in the men’s 10,000m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday. He finished the race in an impressive but exhausting performance under the stadium lights. The gold medal went to Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, who set an Olympic record of 27:24.25.
Wildschutt kept pace with the leading pack for most of the race and was in fourth place after 7000m. He only faded in the final lap. Reflecting on his performance, Wildschutt said, “I thought I ran really smart. I moved up and got myself in an amazing position. It was only in the last 300m that I started struggling. I’m very satisfied and grateful for everything I’ve accomplished so far.”
He added that his strategy, discussed with his coach, was to conserve energy and be ready for a fast final 1000m.
Women’s 800m, round 1, heats
Prudence Sekgodiso qualified for the 800m semifinals with a time of 1:59.84, finishing second in her heat. Despite the competitive nature of the heats, Sekgodiso comfortably secured her spot by following her race plan and staying relaxed.
She expressed her excitement, saying, “Everything went according to plan, and now I’ve made it to the semis.” After finishing behind Daily Cooper Gaspar of Cuba, Sekgodiso looked forward to the semifinals, noting the amazing crowd and her focus on sticking to her plan. “I’ve been running sub-two minutes for a long time. I made my move, gave it my all, and pushed through to come second. Now I’m getting my mind and body ready for the semi-final.”
Men’s shotput, qualification, Group B
Shot putter Kyle Blignaut failed to qualify for the final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His throw of 20.78m placed him seventh in his group, just missing the top six needed to advance.
Reflecting on his performance, Blignaut said, “I feel in great form and have been working hard, but it’s not meant to be. I’ll have to wait another four years for the next Olympics.” He added that he hoped to honor his late coach, Pierre Blignaut, and looks forward to competing in future events like the world championships and Commonwealth Games. With a new Italian coach, Blignaut aims to be on the podium at the 2028 Olympics.
Men’s 1500m, round 1
Ryan Mphahlele finished 12th in his heat in 3:38.48, placing him 38th overall and into the repechage.
Tshepo Tshite finished 13th in his heat in 3:36.87, placing him 23rd overall and into the repechage.
The repechage races will be run on Saturday, the 3rd of August.
Rowing: Men’s Pair Final B
Christopher Baxter and John Smith finished their Paris 2024 journey
with a 3rd place finish in the Men’s Pair Final B race. This result places
them 9th overall out of the 18 teams that competed.
Swimming:
Men’s 100m Butterfly – Heats
Chad le Clos finished 2nd in his heat but was unable to reach the semi-finals, finishing 24th overall. In the same heat, Matthew Sates finished 7th in 54.53, which placed him 35th overall, also missing the top 16 semi-finalists.
Women’s 200m Individual Medley – Heats & Semi Final
Rebecca Meder finished 5th in her semi-final race, placing 11th overall, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. Earlier in the day, she finished 4th in her heat in 2:11.96, which secured her the 16th and last remaining spot in the evening’s semi-finals.
Golf: Individual Stroke Play – Round 2
Scores after Round 2: Erik van Rooyen is tied for 10th place (-6) after scoring 2 under par, 69; and Christiaan Bezuidenhout is tied for 35th place (-1) after scoring an even par, 71, on day 2.
Hockey: Men
Team South Africa’s men’s hockey team finished their Paris 2024 competition with a 5-2 win over hosts, France.
